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THE 


YOUNG    ARTIST; 


OR, 


SELF-CONQUEST; 


LITTLE    BOYS    AND   LITTLE    GIRLS, 


BY 


MRS.   HUGHS, 


AUTHOR  OF  "HOLIDAYS  IN  THE  COUNTRY,   ETC. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

LINDSAY    AND    BLAKISTON, 

1850. 


STEREOTYPED     BY     J.     FAGAN. 
PRINTED     BY     I.     ASH  MEAD. 


(2) 


PREFACE 


We  frequently  find  that  the  greatest 
enemies  we  have  to  encounter,  are  our 
evil  inclinations ;  but  if  we  take  as  much 
pains  to  eradicate  our  prominent  faults, 
as  the  hero  of  this  little  story,  our  efforts 
will  be  crowned  with  similar  success. 

(iii) 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

"Fred,  my  boy/7  said  Mrs.  Waldgrave, 
as  she  entered  the  room  in  which  her  son, 
a  boy  about  twelve  years  old,  was  seated, 
"have  you  learned  your  Latin  gram- 
mar V 

"No,  mother,  not  yet." 

"And  why  haven't  you?" 

"  Because." 

"Because  what?" 

"Why,  because." 

"That  is  the  answer  you  gave  me  be- 
fore, but  is  not  a  reason." 

"Well,  because,"  said  the  boy,  smiling, 

(5) 


6  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

"  I  don't  w&at  to  do  it,  at  present.  I  Jm 
not  in  the "  tumour  for  it,  just  now." 

"What  are  you  doing  at  present?" 

"  I  'm  touching  up  a  view  that  I  took 
yesterday  from  the  back  porch." 

"  You  might  as  well  have  said,  my  boy, 
that  you  were  playing,  which  you  liked 
much  better  than  attending  to  your 
duty." 

"No  indeed,  mother,  I  'm  not  playing," 
replied  the  boy  earnestly;  "I  am  trying 
very  hard  to  improve  myself  in  drawing, 
and  to  learn  to  be  a  great  artist.  That 
would  not  be  playing,  w^ould  it?" 

"To  become  a  great  artist,  would  be 
no  child's  play,  certainly.  But  are  you 
aware,  Fred,  how  much  is  necessary  before 
you  can  become  one?" 


THE    YOUNG   ARTIST.  7 

"  Oh,  I  know  I  shall  have  to  take  a 
great  deal  of  pains  to  learn  to  draw,  and 
to  understand  the  management  of  light 
and  shade,  and  all  those  sort  of  things. 
But  it  would  be  my  delight  to  study 
them;  I  never  could  get  tired  of  such 
work!7' 

"  Don't  deceive  yourself,  my  boy.  You 
think  so  at  present,  because  you  have 
never,  hitherto,  done  any  thing  in  the 
way  of  drawing  but  as  an  amusement. 
But  wait  till  your  work  is  criticised  by 
some  one  who  understands  the  art,  and 
that  which  you  imagined  was  excellent  is 
proved  to  be  defective  in  almost  every 
particular,  and  then  see  whether  you  will 
not  get  tired  of  the  labour  of  touching 
and  retouching.' ' 


8  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

"I'm  sure  I  never  should,"  returned 
Fred,  earnestly,  "and  I  only  wish,  ma, 
that  instead  of  sending  me  to  study  that 
stupid  Greek  and  Latin,  and  algebra,  and 
natural  philosophy,  and  such  things,  you 

would  let  me  go  to  Mr. 's  drawing 

school,  and  then  see  whether  I  would  not 
soon  become  a  great  artist." 

"  Do  you  imagine  you  could  ever  arrive 
at  much  excellence,  with  an  uninformed 
mind?"   asked  Mrs.  Waldgrave. 

"I  don't  see  what  the  stupid  things  I 
have  to  study  at  school,  can  have  to  do 
with  the  work  of  an  artist,"  said  Fred. 
"  He  has  only  to  look  at  things,  and  copy 
them  as  he  sees  them  in  nature,  and  then 
I  suppose  he  is  pretty  sure  to  be  right." 

"The  power  of  copying,  even  though 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  9 

nature  be  the  model,  is  only  a  very  infe- 
rior branch  of  the  art/'  returned  his 
mother;  "yet  even  in  that,  a  knowledge 
of  the  mathematics,  and  many  of  the 
principles  of  natural  philosophy,  is  essen- 
tial. But  to  be  a  great  artist,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  a  cultivated  taste  and  a 
refined  and  enlightened  mind,  to  enable 
you  to  conceive  and  combine,  with  just- 
ness and  propriety,  for  that  alone  can 
make  a  great  artist." 

"  Do  you  think,  mother,"  asked  the  boy, 
with  a  look  that  seemed  to  say,  he  had 
found  a  refutation  of  his  parent's  asser- 
tion, "that  all  the  great  artists  we  hear 
of  understood  Greek  and  Latin?  You 
know,  Martin  was  at  first  only  a  painter 
of  porcelain,  and  Wilkie  was  the  son  of 


10  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

a  poor  Scotch  peasant,  and  when  he  was 
only  four  years  old,  and  a  lady  who  had 
a  very  large  nose,  happened  to  call  at  his 
father's  house,  'wee  Davie,'  as  they  called 
him,  was  very  busy  all  the  time  she  was 
there,  and  after  she  was  gone,  and  his 
father  looked  to  see  what  he  had  been 
doing,  he  found  he  had  been  drawing  like- 
nesses of  the  lady's  nose.  I  suppose, 
mother,"  continued  Fred,  after  having  had 
a  hearty  laugh  at  the  thought  of  the  man- 
ner "wee  Davie"  had  been  employing 
himself,  "  his  grandfather  must  have  been 
of  your  way  of  thinking,  for  when  he 
looked  at  the  noses,  he  shook  his  head, 
and  said,  'Ah,  Davie,  my  man,  I  'm  afraid 
these  things  '11  never  do  you  any  good!' 
And  then  again,  you  know,  ma,  when  he 


THE    YOUNG   ARTIST.  11 

went  to  church,  he  used  to  take  a  piece 
of  burnt  stick,  that  he  might  draw  like- 
nesses of  the  sexton's  queer  face,  as  he 
sat  nodding  all  the  time  the  minister  was 
preaching.  By  these  means,  he  brought 
himself  into  notice,  and  we  are  very  sure 
it  must  have  been  done  without  the  aid 
of  either  Greek,  Latin,  or  mathematics ;" 
and  the  boy  said  this  in  an  exulting  tone, 
as  if  he  had  settled  the  question  beyond 
dispute. 

"All  this  is  very  true,  Fred,"  replied 
Mrs.  Waldgrave,  smiling  at  her  son's  self- 
satisfaction  ;  "  but  it  does  not  in  the  least 
affect  my  argument,  for  if  you  follow  Wil- 
kie's  fortunes  a  little  further,  you  will  soon 
see  that  he  prosecuted  his  education  with 
avidity,  and  though  I  will  not  pretend  to 


12  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

assert  that  he  was  a  classical  scholar, 
(though  I  am  inclined  to  think  he  was,) 
I  am  very  sure  he  was  a  man  of  a  highly 
cultivated  mind,  and  very  extensive  know- 
ledge. And  the  same  may  be  said  of  all 
the  artists,  whether  ancient  or  modern, 
who  have  distinguished  themselves  by  the 
originality  and  brilliancy  of  their  genius. 
But  independent  of  all  this,  the  studies 
you  are  pursuing,  my  dear  Fred,  are  of 
great  importance  to  you,  as  a  means  of 
correcting  a  defect  in  your  disposition, 
which,  if  not  overcome,  will  completely 
prevent  your  arriving  at  excellence  of  any 
kind." 

"What  is  that,  mother?"  asked  the 
boy  with  considerable  anxiety. 

"A  want  of  perseverance  and  resolu- 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  13 

tion  to  overcome  difficulties,"  answered 
his  excellent  mother. 

"That  is  only  when  I  am  engaged  in 
some  dull,  stupid  studies.  When  I  have 
work  that  interests  me,  I  can  persevere 
as  well  as  anybody." 

"  That  is  exactly  what  I  say ;  you  want 
determination  and  perseverance  to  over- 
come difficulties;  and  no  one  requires 
these  things  more  than  an  artist." 

"  How  so  ?   How  can  that  be,  mother  ?" 

"  Because  no  one  is  more  exposed  to 
severe  criticism  than  artists  are;  for 
every  one  thinks  himself  at  liberty  to 
remark  upon  their  defects." 

"Well,  but  such  remarks  would  only 
give  me  an  opportunity  of  correcting  my 
faults  and  sooner  overcoming  them." 


14  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

"When  I  looked  over  your  composition 
the  other  clay  and  pointed  out  the  mis- 
takes, what  did  you  do?"  Fred  hung 
down  his  head  in  silence.  "  Did  you  not,'7 
continued  his  mother,  "tear  it  up  in  a 
passion,  and  throw  it  into  the  fire?" 

"  Because,"  said  Fred,  the  flush  of 
whose  cheek  proved  that  he  was  ashamed 
of  his  fault  even  at  the  time  he  attempted 
to  extenuate  it;  "because  I  had  taken 
a  great  deal  of  pains  with  it,  more  than 
I  ever  took  in  my  life  with  any  composi- 
tion, and  I  was  so  vexed  to  find  it  so  full 
of  mistakes,  after  all." 

"And  if  Mr.  S were  to  come  in  at 

this  moment,  and  examine  the  sketch  that 
you  have  been  working  at  all  this  morn- 
ing, do  you  think  he  would  not  be  able  to 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  15 

point  out  as  many  defects  in  it  as  I  did 
in  your  composition?'7 

'Yes,  I  am  sure  he  would." 

"  And  what  would  be  the  consequence  ? 
Would  you  get  into  a  passion  and  tear  it 
up?" 

"  Oh,  no,  I  would  be  obliged  to  him  for 
his  remarks,  and  try  to  correct  my  picture 
by  them." 

"And  do  you  think  your  mother  less 
deserving  of  respect?"  asked  Mrs.  Wald- 
grave,  looking  at  her  son  with  affection- 
ate seriousness. 

"Oh  no!  dear  mother,"  said  Fred, 
earnestly ;  "  don't  think  it  would  be  from 
any  want  of  respect  to  you ;  it  would  only 
be  because  the  one  was  more  interesting 
to  me  than  the  other," 


16  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

"Then  can  you  not,  my  boy,  give  me 
credit  for  knowing  what  is  good  for  you, 
when  I  assure  you  it  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  you  as  a  man,  a  gentleman, 
and  an  artist,  that  you  prosecute  your 
studies  with  diligence,  and  thus  not  only 
lay  up  a  store  of  valuable  knowledge,  but 
at  the  same  time  acquire  the  habit  of 
applying  yourself  to  that  which  is  useful 
without  always  requiring  that  it  should 
likewise  be  amusing.7' 

"I  will,  mother,  indeed  I  will,"  cried 
the  young  artist  with  energy ;  "  you  shall 
see  how  diligent  I  will  be ;  and  if  I  do 
not  learn  to  like  my  studies  for  their  own 
sake,  I  shall,  I  am  sure,  at  least  take 
pleasure  in  them  as  a  means  of  giving 
pleasure  to  you." 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  17 

"Well  said,  Fred!'7  exclaimed  a  voice 
which  always  sounded  like  music  in  the 

boy's  ears,  for  it  was  that  of  Mr.  S , 

whose  fame  as  an  artist,  kindness  as  a 
friend,  and  politeness  as  a  gentleman,  had 
always  gained  the  boy's  warmest  respect 
and  admiration.  "I  have  done,"  conti- 
nued the  gentleman,  "what  at  first  sight 
might  have  the  appearance  of  meanness, 
for  I  have  been  acting  the  part  of  a  lis- 
tener, though  I  hope  my  familiarity  in 
the  family  will  serve  as  my  apology. 
Finding  the  front  door  open,  I  came  into 
the  entry,  without  ringing  the  bell,  and 
happening  to  hear  some  of  the  conversa- 
tion between  your  mother  and  you,  I 
thought  it  a  pity  to  interrupt  what  was 
likely  to  be  of  so  much  service  to  you,  and 
2 


18  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

therefore  determined  to  remain  a  listener 
till  I  had  found  your  excellent  mother  had 
made  the  impression  I  was  sure  she  could 
not  fail  to  do;  and  at  last  had  the  satis- 
faction of  hearing  that  she  had  succeeded. 
I  now  have  double  pleasure  in  telling  you 
the  errand  that  has  brought  me  here  this 
morning.  Having  obtained  permission  to 
take  you  to  see  Steinhauser's  exquisite 
piece  of  statuary  of  Hero  and  Leander, 
which  has  just  arrived,  I  came  now  for 
that  purpose;  but  as  my  wish  is  not 
merely  to  gratify  your  taste,  but  to  assist 
your  excellent  mother  in  her  views  for 
your  general  improvement,  I  leave  it  to 
her  to  determine  when  you  shall  receive 
this  treat,  for  a  treat  I  assure  you  it  will 
be,  of  a  higher  description  than  anything 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  19 

you  have  ever  yet  experienced."     Fred's 

eyes,  as  Mr.  S spoke,  beamed  with 

delight,  and  when  he  paused,  they  turned 
to  the  face  of  his  mother  with  a  look  of 
anxious  inquiry;  but  the  next  moment, 
and  before  she  had  time  to  reply,  the 
noble  boy  said,  with  a  beautiful  and  in- 
genuous smile,  "I  believe  I  had  better 
pronounce  my  own  sentence,  for  I  am  very 
sure  that  mother  will  be  more  indulgent 
than  I  deserve;  I  think,  therefore,  sir, 
that  as  neither  Hero  nor  Leander  are  very 
likely  to  run  away,  you  must  not  take  me 
to  see  them  till  I  have  deserved  the  treat 
by  attending  to  my  studies  with  as  much 
diligence  as  I  do  to  my  drawing." 

"  As  your  father,  when  he  went  to  fight 
our  battles  for  us  in  Mexico,  left  me  as 


20  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

joint  guardian  with  your  excellent  mother 
over  you  and  our  sweet  little  Ellie,"  re- 
plied Mr.  S ,  "I  should  not  be  doing 

my  duty,  Fred,  were  I  to  say  a  word  to 
shake  that  noble  resolution,  and  shall 
wait  till  you  tell  me  you  think  you  have 
a  right  to  go." 

"  How  long  a  trial  do  you  think  I  ought 
to  have,  ma?"  asked  the  boy,  fixing  his 
eyes  upon  his  mother's  face  with  a  look 
of  great  anxiety. 

"That  I  will  leave  entirely  to  yourself, 
my  son,"  answered  his  excellent  parent. 
"I  hope  and  believe  you  are  convinced 
now,  that  as  an  artist  merely,  a  well-in- 
formed mind  is  essential  to  your  advance- 
ment; and  as  you  are  well  aware  that 
there  is   no  royal   road  to  knowledge,  I 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  21 

hope  there  is  not  much  more  requisite  to 
induce  you  to  make  use  of  the  excellent 
opportunities  you  possess  of  becoming  all 
that  your  friends  desire  to  see  you,  and 
that  your  excellent  talents  will  enable 
you  to  make  yourself." 

"It  will  be  a  pretty  hard  struggle," 
said  the  youthful  artist,  as  he  seemed  to 
review,  inwardly,  what  he  was  about  to 
undertake ;  "  for  I  shall  not  only  have  to 
force  myself  to  what  I  have  n't  much  taste 
for,  but  I  must  constantly  struggle  against 
that  to  which  inclination  is  always  draw- 
ing me.  However,  what  must  be  done, 
must   be   done,  and  I  am   determined." 

Then  turning  to  Mr.  S ,  he  said,  with 

a  firm,  resolute  tone,  "  I  will  not  go  to  see 
Hero  and  Leander  till  I  have  succeeded 


22  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

in  getting  head  of  my  classes,  and  can 
say  that  I  have  not  got  into  a  passion 
when  my  mistakes  were  pointed  out  to 
me." 

"So  be  it,"  returned  Mr.  S ;  "and 

from  this  moment  I  will  never  make  any 
inquiries  respecting  your  progress,  but 
will  wait  till  you  give  me  notice  that  you 
are  ready." 

None  but  those  who  know  what  it  is  to 
give  up,  not  only  a  favourite,  but  a  per- 
fectly fascinating  pursuit,  and  to  pore  day 
after  day  over  studies  that  present  but 
little  interest  to  the  mind,  can  form  an 
idea  of  the  self-denial  which  our  young 
hero  had  to  exercise.  He  had  hitherto 
construed  his  Greek  and  Latin,  solved,  or 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  23 

rather  endeavoured  to  solve  his  problems, 
and  answered  the  questions  put  to  him 
in  other  studies  almost  mechanically,  for 
his  mind  was  continually  dwelling  upon 
the  ideal  pictures  that  were  floating  in 
his  imagination ;  and  the  moment  he  was 
released  from  these  more  abstruse  pur- 
suits, they  had  been  totally  dismissed  as 
having  no  part  in  his  duties,  and  his  pen- 
cil was  taken  up  with  an  avidity  that  the 
temporary  deprivation  had  increased  to 
an  almost  sickly  longing.  Now,  however, 
he  resolved  (and  Fred  had  a  mind  that 
was  capable  of  great  resolves)  that  his 
pencil  should  never  be  touched  till  all  his 
lessons  were  fully  and  completely  pre- 
pared, and  if  he  lost  a  place  in  any  of  his 
classes,  he  enjoined  it  on  himself  as  a 


24  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

deserved  punishment,  that  the  pencil 
should  not  be  taken  up  that  day.  To 
a  boy  of  his  quickness  and  talent  this 
would  have  deprived  him  of  but  a  small 
portion  of  his  enjoyment,  had  he  hitherto 
been  in  the  habit  of  exercising  even  a 
moderate  share  of  application ;  but  as  it 
was,  boys  his  juniors  in  age,  and  very 
much  his  inferiors  in  capacity,  far  out- 
stript  him  in  acquirements,  and  he  had 
frequently  the  mortification  of  seeing 
those  take  place  of  him  whom  he  was 
well  assured  a  very  small  degree  of  study 
would  have  enabled  him  to  leave  far  be- 
hind. This,  yielding  up  his  mind  to  one 
absorbing  pursuit  gave  him  but  little  con- 
cern; but  no  sooner  was  he  impressed 
with  the  idea  that  even  that  one  passion 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  25 

was  dependent  on  the  studies  which  he  had 
hitherto  neglected,  than  their  importance 
rose  in  proportion  in  his  estimation,  and 
he  determined  that  everything  should  in 
future  be  subordinate  to  the  cultivation 
of  his  mind.  Frederick,  though  a  boy  of 
great  talent,  was  yet  only  twelve  years 
old,  besides  which  he  had  unfortunately 
laboured  under  the  disadvantage  of  hav- 
ing a  father,  whom  in  many  respects  he 
but  too  closely  resembled,  and  whose  ver- 
satile and  wavering  disposition  served 
only  to  encourage  him  in  his  contempt 
for  all  studious  application.  That  father, 
however,  consistently  with  the  lightness 
and  frivolity  of  his  mind,  had,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Mexican  war,  placed 
himself  at  the  head  of  a  company,  and 


26  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

proceeded  to  fight  for  a  feather,  leaving 
a  beautiful  young  wife  to  watch  over  the 
education  of  a  son  that  was  just  entering 
upon  a  period  of  life  when  of  all  others 
a  father's  watchful  care  was  most  needed. 
But  faithfully  did  she  perform  the  task 
assigned  to  her ;  and  the  care  of  her  boy, 
and  of  a  lovely  infant  that  had  not  enter- 
ed the  world  till  after  its  father  had  left 
home,  engrossed  all  her  attention,  and 
seemed  to  share  her  existence  between 
them.  She  had  often  before  tried  to  rouse 
her  son  to  a  sense  of  the  necessity  of 
greater  application  to  his  studies,  but 
never,  till  the  morning  on  which  we  have 
introduced  them  to  our  readers,  had  she 
succeeded  in  touching  the  string  which 
vibrated   on   his  heart.     This,  however, 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  27 

being  accomplished,  she  resolved  to  leave 
the  rest  to  himself,  for  she  knew  him  to 
be  a  good  and  conscientious  boy,  and 
whatever  he  had  engaged  to  do  he  would 
accomplish,  however  much  it  might  cost 
him.  It  is  true  that  it  often  gave  her 
pain  to  see  his  distressed  and  perplexed 
countenance  whilst  poring  over  his  Greek 
roots  or  Latin  rules ;  but  she  knew  that 
though  the  price  was  a  dear  one,  he  was 
practising  a  lesson  of  application  and  self- 
control  that  would  benefit  him  through 
the  rest  of  his  life.  She  forbore,  there- 
fore, to  make  any  remark,  though  not  the 
slightest  effort  escaped  her.  Her  eye, 
like  the  ever- watchful  eye  of  Providence, 
saw  all,  and  noted  that  it  was  good. 
Several  weeks  elapsed,  but  though  Mr. 


28  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

S.  frequently  visited  them,  Fred  never 
gave  the  slightest  hint  about  Hero  and 
Leander.  One  day  when  that  gentleman 
was  there,  another  artist  happened  also 
to  be  present,  and  the  conversation 
chanced  to  turn  upon  this  beautiful  piece 
of  statuary.  Fred  sat  drinking  in,  with 
the  utmost  intensity,  all  the  criticisms 
that  were  made.  At  length,  the  gentle- 
man, happening  to  turn  his  eye  upon 
him,  and  being  struck  with  the  extreme 
interest  which  his  countenance  expressed, 
asked  him  if  he  had  seen  the  piece. 

"No,  sir,"  replied  our  hero,  whilst  his 
face  became  suffused  with  a  deep  blush. 

"You  seem  so  much  interested  in  the 
subject,  that  I  should  be  glad  to  take  you 
to  see  it,"  added  the  gentleman. 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  29 

"  Thank  you,  sir/7  replied  Fred,  still 
blushing  exceedingly,  "but  Mr.  S.  has 
already  promised  to  take  nie." 

"  Well,  suppose  then  you  join  our  party 
to-morrow.  Mr.  S.  and  I  have  just  made 
an  appointment  to  meet  there,  and  we 
can  then  both  have  the  pleasure  of 
witnessing  the  effect  it  may  produce  on 
you." 

"I  am  much  obliged  to  you,  sir,"  re- 
turned Fred,  exceedingly  embarrassed; 
"but  I  cannot  go  to-morrow." 

"Why  not?"  persevered  the  importu- 
nate artist. 

"Fred  has  a  special  engagement  to- 
morrow, I  know,"  said  Mr.  S.,  kindly 
interfering  to  relieve  the  boy's  embarrass- 
ment ;  "  but  it  will  not  be  long  before  he 


30  THE    YOUNG   ARTIST. 

goes  to  pay  his  devotion  at  the  shrine  of 
Steinhauser's  genius." 

"Well  then,  remember,  S.,  when  you 
take  him,  you  must  let  me  know,  and  I 
will  be  sure  to  be  there.  It  will  be  no 
mean  treat,  to  witness  the  first  introduc- 
tion of  one  so  alive  to  the  subject,  to  such 
a  master-piece."  Mr.  S.  gave  the  required 
promise,  and  the  subject  was  dropped. 
But  it  did  not  thus  pass  away  from  the 
boy's  mind.  On  the  contrary,  it  rested 
there,  and  served  to  spur  him  on  to 
renewed  exertions. 

One  day  Fred's  teacher  gave  notice 
that  he  would  expect,  on  the  following 
Friday,  a  Latin  thesis  from  each  of  the 
boys  of  our  hero's  class.  This  was  al- 
ways an  arduous  business  to  Fred,  for  he 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  31 

had  never  taken  pains  to  impress  the 
rules  of  grammar  on  his  mind,  so  as  to 
enable  him  to  call  them  up  whenever  re- 
quired, and  had  frequently  to  spend  the 
time  in  hunting  for  them,  which  ought 
to  have  been  devoted  to  the  subject  on 
which  he  was  WTiting.  The  labour  thus 
incurred,  put  his  resolution  to  a  severe 
test,  but  he  was  determined  not  to  yield, 
and  day  after  day,  as  soon  as  his  other 
lessons  were  studied,  instead  of  going  as 
usual  to  his  pencil,  he  took  up  his  compo- 
sition, and  revised  and  re-wrote  it  over 
and  over  again.  Nay,  so  completely  had 
it  taken  possession  of  his  mind,  and  so 
resolved  was  he  to  finish  it,  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  secure  his  rising,  at  least, 
a  step  or  two  in  his  class,  that  on  the 


32  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

Thursday  night,  after  being  in  bed  some 
time,  he  rose  again,  and  lighting  his  lamp, 
commenced  with  renewed  earnestness  an- 
other revisal  and  re-writing,  working  at 
it  till  all  the  family  had  been  long  sunk 
in  repose,  and  he  himself  had  become  so 
overpowered  with  sleep,  that  he  was  sev- 
eral times  startled,  by  the  dropping  of  the 
pen  from  his  hand,  and  his  head  coming 
in  contact  with  the  table,  as  he  nodded 
over  his  task.  It  was  finished,  however, 
at  last,  to  his  satisfaction,  and  duly  laid, 
on  the  Friday  morning,  with  the  produc- 
tions of  the  rest  of  the  class,  on  the 
teacher's  desk,  for  more  deliberate  exami- 
nation at  a  future  period. 

"  I  am  anxious,  and  yet  almost  afraid, 
to  know  the  fate  of  my  thesis,"  said  he 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  33 

on  the  Monday  morning,  as  he  sat  at 
breakfast  with  his  mother. 

"  Whatever  may  be  its  fate,  you  will 
have  the  satisfaction,  Fred,  of  knowing 
that  you  have  tried  your  best,  and  spared 
no  labour,  in  finishing  it  off." 

"  There  is  one  very  smart  and  very  dili- 
gent boy  below  me,  Ned  G-lenthal.  He 
had  to  go  to  the  foot  of  his  class  on  ac- 
count of  absence,  but  has  kept  creeping 
up  a  step  or  two,  ever  since  he  came  back. 
If  I  can  but  keep  him  from  getting  above 
me,  I  shall  be  satisfied,  for  I  think  before 
very  long,  I  can  manage  to  take  place  of 
all  the  rest  in  this  class,  as  I  have  done 
in  all  the  others." 

"Still,  even  if  Glenthal  should  get  up 
to  his  old  station  in  the  class,  I  hope  you 


34  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST, 

will  not  on  that  account  allow  yourself 
to  be  discouraged/'  observed  his  anxious 
parent. 

"  There  is  one  comfort,"  said  Fred,  who 
seemed  to  be  calling  together  all  the  sub- 
jects of  consolation  which  in  such  a  case 
he  knew  he  would  so  much  require :  "I 
shall  be  better  able  to  enter  into  another 
competition  than  I  was  when  I  com- 
menced this,  for  I  have  learnt  a  great 
deal  by  poring  over  the  grammar  as  I 
have  done  for  this  composition,  and  I  am 
determined  what  I  have  now  gained  shall 
stay  by  me." 

"You  have  found  then  the  reward  of 
industry,"  remarked  the  mother,  as  she 
looked  at  her  boy  with  a  sweet  and  cor- 
dial smile.     At  this   moment   the   room 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  35 

door  opened,  and  a  son  of  Dr.  W , 

Fred's  teacher,  entered. 

"Why,  Hal!  what  has  brought  you 
here  so  early  this  morning?"  exclaimed 
our  hero  with  surprise. 

"I  am  come/'  returned  the  boy,  "to 
say  that  father  was  taken  suddenly  sick 
last  night,  and  will  not  be  able  to  attend 
school  to-day."  Fred  joined  his  mother 
in  sincere  expressions  of  regret  at  the  in- 
disposition of  his  teacher,  to  whom  he  was 
much  attached,  and  then  ventured  to  ask 
young  W if  he  knew  whether  his  fa- 
ther had  examined  the  compositions  yet. 
"Yes,  he  had  read  them  on  the  Saturday 
afternoon,"  was  the  reply, 

"Do  you  know  how  I  stand?"  asked 
Fred,,  and  his  heart  fluttered  as  he  spoke. 


36  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

"  You  have  only  lost  two  places/'  an- 
swered the  boy. 

"  Only  lost  two !"  repeated  Fred,  strong- 
ly emphasizing  the  first  word ;  "  and  pray 
who  have  got  above  me  ?  Glenthal  for  one, 
I  suppose." 

"Glenthal  and  Wilcox." 

"Wilcox!"  exclaimed  our  hero  with 
impetuosity,  while  the  colour  rushed  to 
his  face,  and  his  eyes  almost  flashed  fire. 
"If  that  poor  plodding  drone  has  got 
above  me  it  is  of  no  use  for  me  to  try  any 
longer.  I  wish  I  had  the  thesis  here, 
that  I  might  stuff  it  into  the  fire,  and 
give  the  whole  thing  up  at  once.  I  will 
take  my  place  at  the  foot  of  the  class 
when  I  go  back  to  school,  and  stay 
there ;"  but  as  he  uttered   these  words, 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  37 

the  eyes  of  the  boy  fell  upon  his  mother's 
face,  and  he  beheld  there  such  an  ex- 
pression of  deep  concern,  that  in  a  mo- 
ment his  fiery  passion  forsook  him,  and ' 
with  a  sweet  and  gentle  smile  he  said, — 
"But  it  is  folly  for  me  to  be  vexed  be- 
cause Wilcox  has  got  above  me.  I  called 
him  a  plodder,  and  his  very  plodding  is 
the  thing  that  has  given  him  the  advan- 
tage. I  will  therefore  turn  a  plodder,  too, 
and  then  I  think  he  will  not  long  keep 
his  advantage  over  me."  Had  Fred 
sought  for  an  immediate  reward  for  this 
victory  over  himself,  he  would  have  found 
it  abundantly  in  the  change  in  his  mo- 
ther's feelings,  which  her  expressive 
countenance  bespoke  as  plainly  as   any 


38  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

words  could  do ;  and  he   was   still   more 
gratified  when  he   heard   young   "W 


say,  "Father  told  me  there  was  no  doubt 
that  yours  was  the  best  composition  in 
the  class,  taken  merely  as  a  composition, 
but  as  he  had  sa.id  that  the  places  should 
be  taken  according  to  the  grammatical 
mistakes,  you  must  be  obliged  to  go 
down." 

"Down,  down,"  said  Fred  in  a  cheer- 
ful voice,  "well,  never  mind,  it  shall  be 
up,  up,  before  long.  You  shall  see,  Hal, 
how  I  will  plod  over  my  Latin  grammar. 
Mother  used  to  say  I  liked  to  read  but 
not  to  spell,  I  liked  to  do  sums  but  not  to 
learn  tables,  and  I  liked  to  construe  La- 
tin but  not  to  learn  the  rules ;  but  I  now 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  39 

find  that  those  who  wish  to  arrive  at  ex- 
cellence must  submit  at  first  to  drudge." 

After  Henry  W had  taken  leave,  a 

bright  halo  seemed  to  surround  the  face 
of  our  young  and  ardent  hero.  Perhaps 
it  was  a  reflection  from  his  mother's 
beautiful  countenance,  as  she  told  him  he 
had  made  her  feel  happier  than  she  had 
done  for  many  years,  for  though  he  had 
sunk  in  his  class,  he  had  risen  in  her  es- 
teem and  approbation  in  a  manner  that 
she  had  not  dared  to  hope.  She  then  pro- 
posed, as  a  reward  for  a  victory  which 
she  said  she  considered  more  honourable 
than  any  General  Taylor  ever  won,  that 
he  should  devote  this  accidental  holiday 
to  the  exercise  of  his  pencil. 


40  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

The  delighted  boy  considered  for  a 
while  whether  he  could  afford  himself 
such  a  treat,  but  recollecting  that  his  les- 
sons were  already  prepared,  and  that  a 
revising  of  them  in  the  evening  would  be 
sufricient,  he  took  his  paper  and  pencil, 
and  going  to  the  porch,  where  his  mo- 
ther, with  the  little  Ellie  on  her  lap,  was 
already  seated,  he  placed  himself  on  a 
step  in  front  of  her,  and  commenced  the 
delightful  task  of  completing  the  view 
which  had  so  strongly  seized  upon  his 
youthful  fancy. 

The  distant  scenery  (for  their  residence 
was  a  short  way  in  the  country)  was  un- 
doubtedly beautiful;  but  to  those  who 
love  to  contemplate  human  nature,  the 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  41 

home  view  was  infinitely  more  interest- 
ing, for  who  could  behold  with  indifference 
that  lovely  woman,  who  had  not  yet  lost 
any  of  her  charms,  seated  with  a  counte- 
nance of  thoughtful  but  pensive  contem- 
plation, which  was  uninterrupted  even  by 
the  playful  child  that  kicked  and  fondled 
on  her  lap  ?  The  bright  gleam  that  had 
shone  on  her  face  when  she  saw  her  boy 
struggling  nobly  against  the  same  un- 
happy weakness  that  had  been  the  bane 
of  his  father's  existence,  had  gradually 
given  way  to  a  more  thoughtful  expres- 
sion, as  her  mind  reverted  to  the  trials 
she  had  to  undergo  in  consequence  of  the 
errors  of  her  husband. 

Mr.  Waldgrave  had  commenced  life  with 


42  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

all  the  advantages  of  family,  fortune,  and 
talents,  and  had  very  early  become  united 
to  a  beautiful,  intelligent,  and  amiable 
woman.  But  all  these  favourable  cir- 
cumstances had  failed  to  make  him 
respectable,  from  his  unfortunate  want 
of  perseverance  in  any  valuable  pursuit, 
and  his  inability  to  resist  temptation. 
This  weakness  had  gradually  undermined 
every  better  quality,  and  his  excellent 
wife,  though  long  devotedly  attached  to 
him,  had,  at  length,  while  yet  in  the 
bloom  of  life,  been  brought  to  rejoice  in 
his  determination  to  follow  the  army  to 
Mexico,  as  it  removed  his  baneful  exam- 
ple from  the  son,  whom  she  saw  invested 
with  all  his   father's  talents,  but  whom 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  43 

she  was  most  anxious  to  save  from  in- 
heriting that  unhappy  parent's  vices. 
She  had  lost  several  children  between 
her  first-born  and  the  lovely  infant  that 
had  not  seen  the  light  till  after  its  father's 
departure;  and  which  seemed  to  have 
been  sent  to  win  its  mother's  heart  from 
sorrow  and  anxiety;  but  even  its  sweet 
and  playful  caresses,  the  encouraging 
smiles  of  her  many  friends,  nay,  even  the 
soothing  consciousness  of  her  own  recti- 
tude and  virtue,  had  failed  to  shed  so 
bright  a  beam  over  her  fine  face  as  the 
noble  moral  victory  which  her  darling 
son  had  that  morning  gained  over  his 
wayward  passions.  But  sweet  and  inter- 
esting as  is  the  picture  of  mother  and 


44  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

son  and  the  little  playful  infant  presented 
to  our  view,  we  must,  for  the  present, 
withdraw  from  it,  and  proceed  with  our 
little  narrative. 

Fred  proceeded  to  school  the  following 
morning  with  vigour  and  animation,  and 
met  the  boys  that  had  superseded  him 
in  his  class  with  a  frank,  good-natured, 
and  cheerful  countenance.  Wilcox,  whose 
plodding  qualities  the  young  artist  had 
hitherto  contemplated,  with  a  feeling  al- 
most bordering  on  contempt,  was  sur- 
prised, on  meeting  him,  to  see  Fred  hold 
out  his  hand  in  a  friendly  and  cordial 
manner.  "You  have  got  above  me,  I 
find/'  said  the  latter,  "in  Latin  composi- 
tion,  but  you  needn't  expect    to    stay 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  45 

there ;  I  will  have  you  down  the  next  time, 
or  my  name's  not  Frederick  Waldgrave." 

"If  the  doctor  continues  to  go  by  the 
grammatical  mistakes,  I  'm  not  afraid  of 
you/'  replied  his  opponent,  "but  let  the 
sense  of  the  thing  be  taken  as  the  rule, 
and  then  I'm  a  gone  coon." 

"I'm  not  afraid  of  him  for  either  the  one 
or  the  other,"  said  Ned  Glenthal,  who 
had  joined  them  in  time  to  hear  Wilcox's 
modest  reply,  but  who,  though  he  was,  as 
Fred  had  declared,  both  a  talented  and 
diligent  boy,  was  not  without  a  consider- 
able share  of  self-conceit;  "I  am  above 
him  now,  and  I  defy  him  to  bring  me 
down!" 

"You  had  better  not  be  too  self-confi- 


46  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

dent/'  returned  our  hero,  struggling  with 
his  temper,  to  avoid  making  an  ill-natured 
retort;  "for  I  intend  in  future  to  be  as 
bright  as  Glenthal,  and  as  persevering  as 
Wilcox." 

"Then  I  am  sure,  we  shall  none  of  us 
have  any  chance  with  you,"  said  the  mo- 
dest, industrious  Wilcox;  "you  are  the 
smartest  boy  in  the  school,  when  you 
have  a  mind  to  work,  and  if  you  are  going 
to  be  industrious  too,  you  will  carry  all 
before  you." 

"  I  should  like  to  see  him  try,"  retorted 
Glenthal  contemptuously,  as  he  swung 
himself  on  his  heel  and  joined  another 
group  of  boys.  The  manner  in  which 
Glenthal  had  spoken,  and  the  good  hu- 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  47 

mour  with  which  Fred  had  heard  him, 
raised  a  strong  party  spirit  in  our  hero's 
favour ;  for  a  small  matter  is  sufficient,  at 
any  time,  to  excite  a  party  feeling  amongst 
a  set  of  schoolboys. 

Fred,  however,  discovered  no  inclina- 
tion to  encourage  the  testimonials  that 
wrere,  from  time  to  time,  given  in  his  fa- 
vour through  the  course  of  the  day,  and, 
indeed,  thought  so  little  about  them,  that 
he  did  not  consider  it  worth  while  to 
mention  to  his  mother  anything  that  had 
passed  between  him  and  his  school-mates. 
Perhaps  it  might  be  owing  to  his  having 
another  subject,  still  nearer  his  heart, 
about  which  he  wished  to  consult  her; 
for,  as  soon  as  he  got  home,  he  went  to 


48  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

her  and  said,  whilst  a  modest  tinge  over- 
spread his  cheek ;  "  Do  you  think,  mother, 
I  might  venture  to  show  the  drawing  I 
finished  yesterday,  to  Mr.  S.  ?" 

"Certainly,  my  dear,  you  couldn't  do 
better.  It  would  gratify  him  to  receive 
such  a  mark  of  your  confidence,  and  his 
remarks  couldn't  fail  to  be  of  much  ser- 
vice to  yourself." 

"  I  see  a  great  many  defects  in  it  my- 
self, already,  but,  as  he  will,  no  doubt, 
point  out  a  good  many  more,  I  could, 
perhaps,  correct  them  all  at  once." 

Whilst  Fred  was  yet  speaking,  a  ser- 
vant came  into  the  room,  to  say,  that 
Lewis  Wilcox  wished  to  speak  to  him. 
Wondering  what  could  have  brought  his 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  49 

schoolmate,  in  such  haste,  after  him,  Fred 
put  his  drawing,  which  he  had  already 
taken  out  of  his  desk,  on  a  chair  near 
him,  and  hastened  out  of  the  room.  It 
proved,  that  Wilcox  had  come  to  bring 
Fred  the  news,  that  almost  all  the  boys 
in  the  class,  had  joined  in  requesting 
Dr.  W.  to  give  orders  for  a  composition  to 
be  written,  which  was  to  be  judged  of  by 
its  general  merits,  and  not  merely  by  its 
grammatical  accuracy,  and  places  to  be 
taken  in  the  class  accordingly.  This  the 
doctor  had  agreed  to,  only  stipulating, 
that  three  gentlemen  who  had  no  connec- 
tion with  the  establishment,  should  be 
the  judges  of  the  merits  of  the  composi- 
tions ;  and  by  way  of  preventing  any 
4 


50  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

suspicion  of  partiality,  each  writer  was 
to  sign  a  feigned  name,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  give  in  a  sealed  paper,  containing 
the  assumed  and  real  name  of  the  author, 
which  was  to  be  held  by  Doctor  W.,  till 
the  decision  was  made.  "  JSTecl  Glen  thai," 
continued  Lewis,  "tried  very  hard  to  per- 
suade the  doctor,  to  make  next  Friday 
the  day  of  trial ;  but,  we  all  opposed  him, 
and  Dr.  W.  said,  as  he  did  not  wish  it  to 
be  a  take-in,  but  a  trial  of  real  merit,  he 
would  not  have  it  to  take  place  till  the 
regular  composition  day,  and  as  that  isn't 
till  the  last  Friday  in  the  month,  you 
have  plenty  of  time  before  you,  and  I 
hope,  Fred,  you  will  beat  Glenthal,  for 
we  all  want  to  see  him  down." 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  51 

" 1  don't  want  to  see  him  down ;  but,  I 
want  to  see  myself  up,"  said  Fred,  smil- 
ing; "but  have  you  heard  what  subject 
we  are  to  write  upon?'7 

"  The  subject  is  to  be  patience,"  replied 
Lewis,  "and  I  am  sure,  Fred,  if  you  can 
write  only  half  as  well  as  you  practised 
it  this  morning,  you  will  be  certain  to 
get  up." 

Wilcox  now  took  leave,  and  our  hero 
hastened  back  to  the  parlour,  to  explain 
to  his  mother  what  he  had  not,  before, 
thought  it  worth  while  to  speak  about. 
He  met  her  in  the  entry,  coming  down 
stairs. 

"Where's  Ellie,  mother?"  asked  he; 
for  she  was  so  constant  a  companion  of 


52  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

her  mother's,  that  he  wondered  at  seeing 
his  parent  without  her. 

"I  left  her  sitting  on  the  carpet,  play- 
ing with  her  toys,"  answered  Mrs.  Wald- 
grave,  as  she  entered  the  parlour.  But 
the  moment  Fred,  who  followed  imme- 
diately after  his  mother,  cast  his  eyes 
towards  his  sister,  he  gave  a  sort  of 
scream  and  rushed  forward,  but  it  was 
too  late  to  prevent  the  mischief.  The 
child  being  near  a  chair,  had  raised  her- 
self up  by  it,  and  having  laid  hold  of  her 
brother's  drawing,  had  very  industriously 
torn  it  into  small  pieces.  Fred  stood, 
perfectly  pale  with  emotion,  for  some 
minutes ;  and  his  mother  saw  the  conflict 
that  was  passing  within.     She  watched 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  53 

him  with  extreme  anxiety;  but,  being 
determined  to  leave  it  entirely  to  himself, 
she  did  not  say  a  word. 

At  length,  the  victory  was  gained ;  and 
the  noble  boy,  stooping  down,  took  the 
infant  kindly  in  his  arms ;  saying,  as  he 
did  so,  "  Ah !  Ellie,  Ellie,  thou  little  know- 
est  the  mischief  thou  hast  done!"  This 
victory  over  himself,  which,  considering 
all  the  circumstances,  she  felt  to  be  wor- 
thy of  that  of  the  great  Newton  himself, 
whose  language  he  had  imitated,  was  so 
much  more  than  she  had  dared  to  hope 
for,  that,  overcome  by  her  feelings,  she 
burst  into  tears.  "Kiss  ma,  Ellie/7  said 
the  amiable  boy,  as  he  placed  the  infant 
in  his  mother's  arms,  "and  tell  her,  bro- 


54  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

tker  is  only  preparing  the  composition, 
he  has  to  write,  next  month." 

The  succeeding  month  was  one  of  close 
and  earnest  application  to  our  young  fa- 
vourite ;  neither  was  it  unaccompanied  by 
frequent  and  severe  trials  of  temper ;  for 
Glenthal,  who,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  was 
far  from  being  as  amiable  as  he  was  tal- 
ented, chose  to  assume  the  position  of  a 
rival,  and,  as  a  consequence  with  him, 
that  of  an  enemy.  Fred,  however,  who 
had  risen  victorious  over  the  destruction 
of  a  picture,  on  which  he  had  long  and 
earnestly  laboured,  was  not  likely  to  give 
way  under  the  little  petulancies  of  a 
schoolboy.  He  frequently  reminded  Glen- 
thal, in  the  gentlest  manner,  that  he  had 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  55 

had  no  hand  in  the  arrangements,  which 
had  been  made  respecting  their  compo- 
sitions, and  though  he  should  certainly 
strive  his  utmost  to  excel,  he  would  not 
be  a  bit  the  less  a  friend  of  the  more 
successful  candidate,  if  he  were  beaten. 
But  where  jealousy  is  allowed  to  creep  in, 
it  is  in  vain  to  expect  reason  or  generos- 
ity to  abide ;  and  Fred,  at  length,  felt  that 
his  only  plan  was  not  to  see  the  affronts 
that  were  offered,  or  even  to  seem  to  sus- 
pect that  they  were  intended. 

The  important  day,  at  length,  arrived, 
and  Fred  saw  by  his  mother's  looks,  that 
she  was  even  more  anxious  than  himself. 
"  Though  I  may  not  succeed,"  said  he,  as 
they  once  more  discussed  the  interesting 


56  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

subject  at  the  breakfast-table,  and  he  was 
desirous  of  diverting  his  parent's  mind, 
from  the  feeling  of  anxious  suspense  un- 
der which  he  saw  her  labouring ;  "  I  shall 
still  be  a  great  gainer  by  this  month's 
study;  for,  I  have  now,  in  a  great  mea- 
sure, overcome  the  drudgery  of  learning, 
and  have,  besides,  acquired  such  a  habit 
of  application,  that  it  is  now  no  trouble 
to  me." 

The  mother's  countenance  showed  her 
satisfaction  at  hearing  him  thus  express 
himself,  and  the  ardent  boy  hastened  to 
school  to  learn  the  fate  of  his  composi- 
tion. 

The  three  gentlemen,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed judges,  did  not  come  till  after- 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  57 

noon,  when,  receiving  the  various  papers, 
they  retired  to  an  apartment  adjoining 
Dr.  ¥'s.  school-room,  to  read  them  over. 

All  seemed  to  agree  that  the  contest 
lay  between  G-lenthal  and  Waldgrave; 
and,  though  all  appeared  to  unite  in 
wishing  the  latter  to  be  the  successful 
candidate,  they  were  no  less  unanimous 
in  believing  it  would  prove  to  be  the 
former. 

Glenthal  sat  with  a  proud  and  sullen 
frown  upon  his  countenance,  and  went 
through  his  lessons,  as  if  he  had  sustain- 
ed some  injury.  Not  so  our  hero.  He 
had  schooled  his  mind  into  the  belief 
that,  whatever  might  be  the  decision  of 
the  judges,  he,  as  he  had  told  his  mother 


58  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

in  the  morning,  would  still  be  a  gainer. 
It  is  true,  that  as  he  contemplated  the 
possibility  of  the  award  being  given  in 
his  favour,  and  thought  of  the  pleasure  he 
would  have  in  telling  Mr.  S.  that  he  was 
now  ready  to  go  with  him  to  see  Hero 
and  Leander,  his  pulse  beat  quicker,  and 
his  heart  swelled  with  fuller  and  deeper 
throbbings;  still,  his  countenance  was 
serene,  and  he  spoke  and  looked  like  one 
who  could  bear  disappointment,  though 
he  would  rejoice  most  heartily  if  he  should 
prove  successful. 

At  length  the  door  opened,  and  the 
judges  came  forward.  "Here  are  two 
compositions,  upon  the  merits  of  which 
we  are  unable  to  determine,"  said  one  of 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  59 

them;  "the  one  belongs  to  Hero,  the 
other  to  Hercules." 

"Let  me  determine/'  cried  Fred,  rising 
in  the  ardour  of  his  feelings,  and  speak- 
ing with  a  clear  and  distinct  voice; 
"  Glenthal  is  the  Hercules,  and  he  de- 
serves it  better  than  I  do,  for  my  industry 
is  only  like  a  shooting  meteor,  but  his  is 
the  regular  and  useful  light  of  the  polar 
star;  as  far,  therefore,  as  uniform  dili- 
gence is  preferable  to  a  sudden  spirit  of 
industry,  is  he  more  deserving  of  reward 
than  I  am." 

"That  all  sounds  very  well,  Waldgrave," 
said  Dr.  W — -  smiling;  "but  I  am  afraid 
it  is  not  very  sound  reasoning,  for  any 
one  who  has  known  how  difficult  it  is  to 


60  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

overcome  one  bad  habit  (and  I  believe 
there  are  few  who  have  not  experienced 
it),  must  be  sensible  of  the  merit  of  him 
who  has  conquered  many.  Our  present 
difficulty,  however,  is  merely  of  a  literary 
nature,  and  not  a  question  of  morality. 
I  propose,  therefore,  as  Glenthal  is  al- 
ready above  you,  that  he  should  go  head, 
and  you  take  your  place  by  his  side."  As 
an  answer  to  this  proposition  Fred  tried 
to  raise  a  clap  of  approbation,  but  all  was 
still  silent,  and  a  general  expression  of 
dissatisfaction  prevailed.  "My  proposal 
doesn't  seem  to  be  approved  of,"  contin- 
ued the  doctor,  "and  I  should  like  to 
hear  if  any  one  has  a  better  to  suggest. 
Wilcox,  you  look  as  if  you  wished  to  say 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  61 

something, — let  us  hear  what  you  have  to 
propose.  Speak  out^  man,  for  I  never  yet 
heard  you  say  anything  of  which  you  need 
to  be  ashamed. " 

"I  would  propose,  sir,  that  Glenthal 
should  be  considered  head  of  the  class, 
and  Waldgrave  second ;  but,  also,  that  we 
should  all  join  and  purchase  a  medal  of 
merit,  to  be  given  to  Frederick  Waldgrave 
as  a  token  of  the  respect  and  admiration 
of  his  class-mates." 

This  was  followed  by  loud  and  enthu- 
siastic clappings,  and  our  hero  withdrew 
amidst  the  unanimous  plaudits  of  his  ad- 
miring companions. 

On  his  arrival  at  home  he  found  Mr. 
S ,  and  the  artist  to  whom  we  have 


62  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

before  alluded,  sitting  contemplating  a 
picture,  which,  on  looking  at  it,  Fred  saw 
to  his  surprise  was  his  own  drawing.  He 
cast  a  look  of  wonder  and  inquiry  at  his 
mother,  who  immediately  understood  and 
answered  him.  "I  was  anxious  to  give 
you  some  decided  mark  of  my  approba- 
tion, my  dear  boy,"  said  she;  "and  sup- 
posed I  could  not  do  it  better  than  by 
restoring  your  lost  picture.  I  therefore 
carefully  preserved  all  the  scraps,  and 
have  employed  myself  to-day  in  joining 

them,  after  which  I  sent  for  Mr.  S , 

to  show  him  your  creation  and  my  re-cre- 
ation." 

"  It  was  very  kind  of  you,  mother,"  re- 
plied Fred ;  "  but  I  am  almost  sorry  you 


THE    YOUNG    ARTIST.  63 

have  taken  so  much  trouble  about  it,  for 
I  think  I  could  now  make  a  much  bet- 
ter drawing." 

"I  have  no  doubt  you  could  do  so/' 

said  Mr.  S ■;  "but  I  would  advise  you 

to  take  good  care  of  this,  nevertheless,  for 
when  you  are  the  great  artist,  which  I 
predict  you  will  some  clay  become,  this 
picture  will  be  reckoned  very  valuable,  as 
an  enduring  proof  of  the  early  develop- 
ment of  your  genius." 

"And  whenever  the  circumstances  at- 
tending it  are  known,"  said  his  proud 
mother;  "it  will  tell  an  honourable  tale, 
by  proving  him  the  hero  of  a  victory 
which  even  the  sage  philosopher  might 
be  proud  of," 


64  THE    YOUNG    ARTIST. 

* 

"  And  now,  S ,"  said  the  artist  who 

had  stood  by,  admiring  the  boy's  modest 
but  glowing  countenance;  "let  us  hasten 
to  the  shrine  of  Steinhauser's  genius,  for 
I  long  to  introduce  the  great  master  to 
our  young  artist." 


THE  END 


